U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's Remarks on His Nomination as the U.S. Ambassador to China

AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERYWednesday, March 9, 2011CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS202-482-4883

Commerce Secretary Gary LockeU.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's Remarks on His Nomination as the U.S. Ambassador to China

Thank you, Mr.
President.

I am deeply
humbled and honored to be chosen as your Ambassador to
China.

It was a little
over a century ago that my grandfather first came to America to work as a
houseboy for a family in Washington State in exchange for English lessons.

My father
arrived years later, and became a member of the Greatest Generation; enlisting
in the U.S. Army and taking part in the Normandy invasion and the march to
Berlin, before coming home to raise a family and build a small business in
Seattle.

My father never
imagined that his child would one day serve America as the Secretary of
Commerce. He was beaming with pride the day you presided over my swearing-in
ceremony.

Sadly, Dad
passed away this January. But I know that if he were still alive, it would be
one of his proudest moments to see his son named as the U.S. Ambassador to our
ancestral homeland.

I’m going back
to the birthplace of my grandfather and father, and I’ll be doing so as a
devoted and passionate advocate for America, the country where I was born and
raised.

As Commerce
Secretary, I have helped open up foreign markets for American businesses so they
can create jobs right here in America.

I'm eager to
continue that work in China, and to help you, Mr. President, manage one of
America's most critical and complex diplomatic, economic and strategic
relationships.

I’m excited to
take on this new challenge, as is my wife Mona and our three children.

And we’ll be
leaving Washington, D.C. with great memories and many new friends.

Being Commerce
Secretary has been one of the best jobs I've ever had, thanks to the immensely
talented and dedicated men and women at the Commerce Department, in the White
House and in the Cabinet.

I’m proud of the
work we've done at Commerce:

Delivering
services faster;

Serving the
needs of U.S. businesses and workers; and

Saving taxpayers
billions of dollars by being more efficient in everything we
do.

I am confident
theses accomplishments will stand the test of time.

Mr. President, I
am eager to assume this new position.

It is a
privilege and a solemn responsibility to serve you and the American people as
the next U.S. ambassador to China.